TALE OF THE TAPE
Andy Ruiz is favourite going into the fight but if Joseph Parker can perform according to the plan then Joe wins the WBO belt. I base that favouritism factor on Ruiz’s experience. The numbers don’t lie – he’s got more rounds under his belt.
But Joseph can definitely win using the key strengths in his own style. He has a physical advantage but has to use the jab as a weapon, not as a range-finder. If he does that successfully, the jab opens up other punches and combinations which trainer Kevin Barry has been working on.
Joe has to improve on what he did against Carlos Takam – he mustn’t go back in a straight line; when he’s going backwards he has got to peel off to the sides and then counter-attack, making good use of angles.
That’s basically the blueprint on how to beat Ruiz. I’m not divulging top secret information here.
Ruiz is a little bit predictable, he does similar things round-in, round-out and that plays into Joe’s favour. But Ruiz is tough and this is going to be a very good, hardfought battle. He who throws the most punches wins.
Will it go the distance? There are two big punchers here so commonsense tells me no.
Andy Ruiz has an excellent tactician in his corner in Abel Sanchez. You can’t buy a bag full of experience but this guy has actually got the runs on the board when you look at his champions.
Abel is able to polish skills and bring the best out of his fighters but, in saying that, Abel doesn’t have a wand in his back pocket and you can’t transform a boxer in 60 days. That’s all he’s had with Ruiz.
Let’s be realists. Abel has just had the Gennady Golovkin fight and this weekend he’s in Moscow with Murat Gassiev for another world title fight. I’m not sure that’s ideal preparation for Ruiz. He hasn’t been the sole focus, he’s not first cab off the rank, he’s not second cab off the rank, he’s playing third fiddle.
Reports of Ruiz’s weight loss must also be questioned. When he’s fought his best, he’s been at his biggest. The focus has been to strip him down in weight and I don’t think that works in his favour either. Stamina isn’t what he needs, he needs bully power, that’s what’s won him fights.
I’m quietly confident. I believe Joseph can win the fight late in the rounds. I have faith in Kevin Barry as a coach. I have faith in Kevin Barry’s ability to direct the traffic through the course of the rounds. That’s the key strength – you need to have a tactician in your corner in this fight.
Kevin’s ability to steer the traffic JOSEPH PARKER Born: Auckland, NZ Nationality: New Zealand Age: 24 Fights: Orthodox Height: 1.93m Reach: 1.93m Pro debut: 2012 Record: 21-0 (18KOs) Rounds boxed: 87 KOs: 86% Rankings: WBO 1, Boxrec 5 Heavyweight belts: WBO Oriental, WBO Africa, WBC Eurasia, OPBF, WBA Oceania, PABA, NZBF. Reports of Ruiz’s weight loss must also be questioned. When he’s fought his best, he’s been at his biggest. against Ruiz is going to be as much of a catalyst to win the fight as Joe’s skills are going to be.
Would this be a fight I’d put in front of Joe if the WBO belt wasn’t on the line? Yes, most definitely.
I’m not into the name and shame game but I can tell you there have been a lot of top 10 fighters who have been offered good money to fight Joseph Parker.
They haven’t wanted it. That had nothing to do with the finances; it had more to do with them seeing Joe as a dangerous fighter.
The thing about Duco is they haven’t wanted to simply get Joseph Parker into a position to have a shot at a world title – that’s dangerous, people leave in ambulances with that attitude. They have always been about getting Joseph Parker into a position to win a world title. I believe that we are going to realise on that focus on December 10.